


Time and Date

by twilight_shades



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Babysitting, Episode Fix-it: s01e15 Destiny, Fantasizing, Leonard Snart Lives, Multi, Post-Crisis On Earth-X Crossover Event (CW DC TV Universe), tornado twins - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-12
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2019-08-22 13:27:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16598780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twilight_shades/pseuds/twilight_shades
Summary: Barry and Iris find out that Len is very good with babies.  Iris finds out why Barry liked Len so much.  Barry finds out that three can be a very good number.  Len already knows all of this.Canon divergence after Crisis on Earth-X, set about two years after.





	Time and Date

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Do not own. Complete fiction.

Barry is trying to figure out who he can call. He has to go, but he also has to make sure the twins are taken care of. He bounces Don, who has been crying for the last half an hour. He loves his children, but it would be nice if they were just a little less fussy. At least Dawn is asleep, for now. He runs through the list of people in his head again, but is pretty sure everyone on it is not in the immediate vicinity (or time) or is fighting off the horde of robotic rodents. Hopefully, someone will see his mass text and come to tag him in. 

There’s a knock on the door. He goes over to it, bouncing Don. Maybe Iris has escaped (it wouldn’t hurt if he and Iris could go one month without one of them being taken captive). He checks who is at the door and then flings it open. “Oh God, Leo, I’m glad you’re here!”

Leo looks at him with a confused expression.

Maybe he doesn’t know what’s going on yet. “There’s a thing with rat robots and I need to go. Can you take care of the twins for a while? Dawn’s asleep. And Don’s being fussy. But they’ve both been fed. There are bottles in the fridge, though, if I’m not back in a few hours,” Barry spits out quickly and hands Don over to Leo. “Thanks.” Barry flashes off while Leo is blinking down at Don.

~~~

It takes way too long get things under some semblance of control. Even though Iris gets away pretty handily, the rats and squirrels seem determined to follow her. They’ve been playing a bizarre game of keep away. Barry hears the familiar whine of a cold gun and turns around to see Leo blasting some of the little robots.

“Hey! Where are the kids?” Barry calls out to Leo.

When Leo looks over with a confused expression that’s slightly different from the one Barry had seen earlier, that’s when Barry starts to get an inkling that he didn’t leave his children with the Snart from Earth-X.

Iris looks at him apprehensively. “Barry…”

“Yeah.” Barry looks around, most of the robots are down or in pieces. “Cisco, Iris and I have to go. Have you got this?” Barry asks over his comm unit.

“Yeah, go,” Cisco replies.

“Thanks!”

Iris steps into Barry’s arms and he flashes them home. It’s really quiet when they get there. Snart is sitting on the couch with Dawn in his arms and Don is in his carrier on the coffee table facing them. Both the babies are awake and not crying or eating. Barry looks at Iris, who is looking back at him with the same amazement on her face that Barry feels.

“So, Scarlet,” Snart drawls, “finally figure out I’m not the Snart you thought?”

Barry’s fascinated by the way both his children look to Snart, riveted, when he talks. “Uh, yeah. Um, sorry for dumping the kids on you.”

“Well, Dawn and Don here,” Snart says and then stops and gives Iris a dubious look.

Iris rolls her eyes. “Barry named them. I was not at my best at that moment.”

“Hmm. Should’ve let Ramon name them. Even Luke and Leia would’ve been better.”

Iris sort of grimaces, but nods.

“Hey!” Barry protests.

“Seriously, Barry?” Iris asks.

“I like their names,” Barry says.

“I know,” Iris says and pats him on the shoulder.

“Anyway,” Snart continues, “Thing 1 and Thing 2, here, and I talked, had some laughs.”

“Really? They laughed?” Iris asks.

Snart looks at her assessingly. “Some.”

Barry’s not sure how he feels about that. On the one hand, his children laughed, on the other, neither he nor Iris was here to see it. He shakes it off. “So, uh, can I ask? Which, um, earth are you from?”

“This one. I think.”

“But the Leonard Snart from this earth died,” Barry says, weirdly almost choking up as he says it.

“Just temporarily dispersed or maybe that’s temporally dispersed,” Snart says with a smirk.

Barry looks at him closely, wondering if he’s really the same man.

“So, The Flash has remained a hero,” Snart drawls with a smirk.

Barry breathes in sharply, mind suddenly back in Siberia with Snart giving him advice. Barry smiles lopsidedly. “No strings on you, huh?” Barry asks, voice inexplicably thick.

“Oh, apparently one or two,” Snart says sardonically.

Iris looks at Barry in question.

Barry nods. “Yeah, it’s him.”

“Well, um, welcome back. Are you okay?” Iris asks.

“Peachy,” Barry says at the exact same time Snart does.

Iris raises her eyebrows at Barry.

“That means no,” Barry says.

Snart scowls at Barry, but doesn’t actually refute what he said. Then Dawn reaches up with a flailing hand and the scowl slides off Snart’s face as he holds a hand over her so that she can grasp one of his fingers.

Barry wants to coo, but is sort of afraid Snart will leave if he does, so he refrains.

Iris pats him on the arm in a consoling way, like she knows what he’s thinking. She probably does.

Snart leans forward a little and widens his eyes at Don. Don gets really excited, flapping his arms. Snart smiles a little.

“You’re really good with them,” Iris says, a little wistfully.

“Babies like me,” Snart says absently.

Something about the way he says it bothers Barry. Snart should be preening or making a quip.

Snart looks up and focuses on Barry. “So, Barry, Lisa says you might have some things of mine.”

Barry blinks, remembering an angry Lisa, confronting The Flash after she’d found out her brother had died, throwing two sets of keys at him as she yelled about how The Flash could go through Snart’s things since The Flash was part of the reason her brother was gone. “Oh, oh yeah. Um, I’m sure she would have come by at some point and collected them.”

Snart frowns at him.

“I mean, she was just angry at me. Of course she would’ve wanted some things to remember you by, just after she got some distance from your, uh, death… that wasn’t actually a death.” Barry cringes at how that comes out.

Iris shakes her head at him.

Snart looks puzzled. “Are you trying to make me feel better, Scarlet?”

“Yes?”

Snart frowns a little at Barry. “I’m not upset with Lisa.”

“You’re not?” Barry would be.

“No.”

“Oh.” Barry wonders why not. Maybe Snart is sure he’s made impression, that Snart will be remembered. To be fair, he is definitely hard to forget. There’s a part of Barry, even after being The Flash, after getting married and becoming a father, that doesn’t believe that he’s made that much of an impact on the people around him, that if they don’t keep reminders of him around, he’ll just fade from their memories.

Iris is looking at him with a concerned expression. “Barry?”

Barry shakes his head and forces on a smile. “I’m just going to go, um, yeah. I’ll be back in a second.” Barry flashes away. He flashes out of his Flash suit and into everyday clothes and then flashes over to the storage space, grabs a couple of boxes, and then flashes back. He sets the boxes down beside the coffee table.

Snart raises his eyebrows at Barry, looking a little surprised, but Barry’s not sure why. Snart gently disengages his fingers from Dawn’s grasp and then smoothly stands up. He hands Dawn over to Barry and then turns Don’s seat around, so that Don is facing his parents. Don makes a his prelude-to-crying face and Iris gets him out of the carrier. Snart moves over to the boxes and opens the first box and starts going through it. After a few moments Don starts fussing, then Dawn gets in on the act. Snart beckons Barry and Iris to him. Barry goes eagerly, thinking of all the interesting things he had packed up and put in those boxes and wondering what Snart wants to show them. Iris must be pretty curious too since she crowds up with Barry. But instead of showing them anything, Snart just reaches out and lays a hand on Dawn’s front, pretty much covering her torso, and taps his index finger against her chest and after a few seconds, she quiets down. Snart lifts his hand off and places it on Don’s back and does the same thing and Don magically quiets down too. Barry looks down at Dawn and then over at Don and it looks like they’re actually drifting off to sleep. Snart goes back to looking through the box while Barry shares a look with Iris.

Iris clears her throat. “We have a really nice guest bedroom, if you need a place to stay.”

Snart looks up and studies Iris closely for a moment. His lips quirk up a bit and then he looks at Barry. “That _cool_ with you, Scarlet?”

Barry knows Snart is probably only asking him to be able to make the joke, but Barry nods enthusiastically. “Yes, yes, yes, you should stay, yes.”

Snart snorts. “Such a lackluster response, I can tell when I’m not wanted,” Snart drawls sarcastically. He looks consideringly at them, gaze touching on the babies. “Fine. Thank you for the invitation, Ms. West-Allen.”

“Iris,” Iris says.

Snart’s brows go up. “You can call me Len, if you want, but Snart or Cold will work.”

“Len, then,” Iris says.

“Me too?” Barry asks.

“No, _Barry_ , only Iris gets to call me by my first name,” Snart says dryly.

Iris makes a noise like she’s trying to hold back a laugh and turns away a little.

Barry sighs, then perks up, “Can I call you-“

“No,” Snart cuts in.

Barry pouts a little, but then shrugs it off and says, “Fine. Len.”

Iris nudges Barry and he follows her to the twins’ room and they carefully lay them down in their cribs and quietly retreat, closing the door behind them

Snart, Len, is back at the box, pulling out things, when they get back. “How much stuff did you pack?”

“Whatever I could find that didn’t seem, um, obviously stolen,” Barry says.

Len laughs at him.

“What are you looking for? I remember a lot of what I packed and I could maybe tell you if I saw it,” Barry offers.

“Heavy, silver metal, looks a little like a drunk hedgehog.”

“Oh, uh, yeah, yeah, that’s in the other box.”

Len sets the first box aside and opens the other one. He finds it and pulls it out and twists something and it comes apart. Apparently, it’s some kind of container. There are some papers that Barry can see. Len looks up and Barry looks away, not wanting to seem too nosy. Iris does not have the same problem, Barry sees when he looks over at her. She’s looking with unabashed interest at what’s inside. 

“It was my mother’s,” Len says with no inflection.

Barry frowns. “Why wouldn’t Lisa want-“

“My mother wasn’t Lisa’s,” Len interrupts. “My mother died before our father met Lisa’s mother. But even if there was something from Lisa’s mother, I’m not sure she’d want it. Lisa’s mother left before Lisa was two.”

That’s a lot more information than Barry was expecting. He should probably know about this. He had looked up all of the Snarts, at one time or another, but really, he’d been much more concerned with criminal activities than anything else. “Oh.”

Len briefly flicks through the things inside and then closes it up. He sets it on the coffee table. “There are a lot of clothes here,” Len says, looking at Barry inquiringly.

Barry looks down and swallows. Even after all of this time, it’s still hard to talk about. “I got a sweater of my mom’s after she died. It smelled like her. I used to take it out when I was missing her. But after a while, it didn’t smell that much like her any more. I thought that someday Lisa might want something to remind her of you and, you know, more clothes would…” Barry shrugs.

Iris gets closer and leans her shoulder against Barry’s in silent support.

Len sighs. “Okay, I can’t actually make fun of that. Very nice of you, Barry, thank you.”

“Uh, you’re welcome,” Barry says, taken aback.

Len puts everything back into the boxes except for the metal hedgehog thing.

“I can go put those in the guest room,” Barry says, inwardly cringing at how eager he sounds.

Len looks amused and inclines his head and gestures at the boxes with a hand in invitation. “Go ahead.”

Barry flashes the boxes into the guest room and then does a quick check-in with Cisco. Everything is being handled, so Barry doesn’t need to go back. But it does remind Barry of something. He flashes back to living room. Len is showing something to Iris. Barry edges closer, craning his neck a little. Len arches an eyebrow and angles what turns out to be a photo toward Barry. Barry blinks, surprised. “Is, is that your mother?”

“Yes.”

Barry looks at Len. “I didn’t realize that she…”

“Was mixed? Most people don’t.” Len shrugs.

Barry looks back at the photo, at her sparkling eyes, her wide smile, and her fine features. “She’s really pretty. I guess you got most of your looks from her side of the family.”

“Are you calling me pretty, Barry?”

Iris scoffs at Len. “Like you don’t know.”

Len studies her. “That some people consider me attractive? Or that Barry, specifically, does?”

“Both. Either. _Some_ people, uh-huh,” Iris says, rolling her eyes.

Len’s lips twitch. “You know, I have been accused of being dramatic, overbearing, petty, vengeful, and quite a few other things, but someone implying that I’m being _modest_ is a new one.”

“Whatever,” Iris says, shaking her head.

Barry decides not to comment on any of that and asks Len about what he was reminded of earlier, “Did you want me to get in touch the Waverider crew?”

“I got a message to Gideon to let Mick know. I asked her to give him a few days to decide how he feels about it before letting anyone else know. They might stop by then.” Len frowns. “Mick’ll come when he’s ready to see me.”

Barry pushes aside the part of him that wants to reassure Len that Mick will want to see him as soon as he can. He’d realized at some point, listening to stories from the Waverider crew that that friendship, partnership, was more complicated than Barry had imagined. “How did you get a message to Gideon?”

“I’m resourceful.”

Barry smiles. “Yeah, you are that.”

~~~

Barry wakes up slowly and then quickly turns to Iris, who is also just waking. It’s early, but not seems-like-the-middle-of-the-night early, they are waking up naturally and Barry, at least, feels more rested than he has in a long time. And they only had to get up once in the night with the twins.

“Do you think he actually came back with magical powers?” Iris asks.

Barry shrugs, it wouldn’t even be the weirdest thing to happen _this month_.

They wallow a bit in bed, even make out a little (it’s been a while since they were both awake in bed and not exhausted). But after a few minutes, they get up to check on their beautiful, maddening children.

Barry comes to a stop just before entering the living room at what he sees there, Iris halting next to him. Snart, Len, is lounging on a blanket on the floor, Don lying on his chest and Dawn tucked into Len’s side with his arm around her. They are both dressed in pink and are contentedly looking up at his face as he talks. Barry listens for a few seconds and apparently Len is telling them about the Kahndaq Dynasty. Iris grabs a hold of Barry’s arm and tows him back.

“Okay, whatever we have to do to make it more appealing for him to stay here, we’re going to do,” Iris says.

Barry doesn’t disagree, but he’s not really sure what would work. “Like what?”

“Like if he wants to steal something, maybe you distract the police with something else.”

“Are you serious?” Barry’s a little surprised, but he’s sort of considering it.

Iris laughs a little. “More than I’d like to be.” Iris sighs. “I guess not.”

“Well, you know, he probably wouldn’t thank us for taking away some of the challenge anyway,” Barry says reflectively, smiling fondly.

Iris tilts her head as she looks at Barry.

“What?”

“You really like him. I mean, I knew you liked him, but I had no idea it was this much.”

Barry doesn’t know how to answer that. He does like Len a lot. He shrugs. “He’s actually really hard not to like.”

Iris smiles. “Yeah, I’m getting that.”

“Are you?” Barry asks teasingly.

“He is very charismatic.”

“Isn’t that so annoying?”

“It really is.”

They smile at each other. Barry takes Iris’ hand and they walk into the living room.

Len looks up at them. “Well, look who finally decided to join us.”

Don crows.

Dawn looks at them and then back to Len.

“Yeah. I bet they think they were being quiet with that discussion in the hall,” Len says conversationally to the twins.

Barry cringes as Iris winces. “Sorry,” Barry says.

“No, it was very enlightening,” Len drawls.

Barry is blushing. He does not feel like a responsible adult with a family. Iris doesn’t seem to know how to respond. Barry’s not sure he’s ever seen her so awkward. It’s really cute.

Len chuckles and the twins go wild, happily waving their arms and kicking their feet.

“God, what? _Are_ you magic?” Barry blurts out.

Len opens his mouth to say something, but looks at the twins and seems to reconsider. He eyes Barry, then asks, “You ever, hmm, flashed them anywhere?”

Barry’s taken aback by the question. “The twins? No, we were worried it would maybe cause damage with them this young.”

“Why?” Iris asks curiously.

Len looks a little reluctant. “I think they’re like Barry.”

“What?” Barry asks.

“What?” Iris asks.

“Since my time… bomb, I can sort of sense Barry’s connection to… time, I guess. And the twins seem to have the same thing, very faint, but there.”

“I don’t know what to ask first,” Barry says, stunned.

“Well, good. I don’t know what to tell you. I don’t know how it works or why. I don’t even know if it’s actually what I think it is. So, I doubt I have any of the answers you’re looking for,” Leonard says, grimacing.

“Do you think that if Barry flashed them somewhere, it would do something?” Iris asks.

Len shrugs, then frowns to himself. He looks at the twins, then up at Iris, looking almost solemn. “Yes.”

“Something bad?”

Len hesitates. “I don’t think so?” he says tentatively, then pauses and says with more conviction, “No, nothing…bad. Just different.”

“Different how?” Barry asks.

Len shakes his head. “I don’t know exactly.”

Barry’s about to ask more, but Iris puts a hand on his arm and tilts her head at Len. Barry catches the look of frustration on Len’s face before it disappears behind a neutral expression. Maybe they should hold off for now, maybe get a little information first (there’s bound to be a Wells that knows something about this, right?).

“We usually dress them in different colors from one another,” Iris says, changing the subject.

Len looks at the twins and smiles to their obvious delight. “Dawn didn’t seem to have a preference, but Don really liked the pink, so I put one outfit on him and one on his sister so he could have it to look at, too.”

“Awwww!” slips out of Barry’s mouth before he can stop it.

Everyone in the room looks at Barry like they are judging him, even his infant twins, who shouldn’t be able to. He may be imagining that, but he doesn’t think so.

“It’s sweet,” Barry says sulkily.

“I ain’t sweet,” Len says.

Barry can’t tell if he’s being serious or teasing Barry. Len is lying there, literally snuggling with Barry and Iris’ babies, telling Barry he’s not sweet. Barry wouldn’t think Len is one for self-deception, except he does seem to have a blind spot for seeing anything really decent in himself. It makes Barry sad, because Barry’s seen Len choose to do good (and heard about him doing it), but acknowledging it seems really difficult for him. He’s never really felt that much sorrow for Lewis Snart’s death for Lewis’ sake, more for what it meant for Len and Lisa, but sometimes Barry feels, not glad, exactly, but not unhappy that Lewis Snart is dead.

“You’re a better person than you let yourself believe you are,” Barry says solemnly.

“Barry…” Len says warningly.

“Right, right, you’re a monster who is going to show me how awful you can be… right after you finish cuddling my children.” Barry gives him a patronizing smile. 

Len narrows his eyes at Barry. Then a light comes into his eyes and a slow smirk stretches his lips. “Iris, did you know that some kids have a stage where they want to be naked all the time?”

Iris blinks. “Um, yeah, I had a second cousin who, when he was, like, two, every time he was out of sight of his parents, he would strip out of whatever he was wearing and run around laughing.”

“Hmm, your second cousin? No one else you can think of?” Len asks idly, still smirking.

Barry feels his eyes go wide. Oh, no. Len cannot possibly know about that. He can’t be talking about Barry. Can he?

“Not off-hand. Why, were you one of those kids?”

“Me, no, I actually liked to dress up,” Len says. “I was thinking of someone closer to home.” Then Len looks right at Barry.

“Barry?” Iris asks, following his line of sight. “I never heard anything about that.” And Iris is looking at Barry in question.

_He knows._ Somehow, and Barry doesn’t have any idea how, Len knows. “No, no, no, no. I take it back. You are so, so evil and you have the coldest, blackest heart,” Barry says desperately to Len.

Len smiles and _bats his eyes_. “Flatterer.” Len turns his gaze to an amused Iris. “Barry, here, was one of those kids. In fact, he used to _fling_ his clothes as high as he could and run outside, singing.”

Barry groans and puts his face in his hands.

“It’s true? You did?” Iris asks, sounding incredulous.

Barry just groans again.

“What did he sing? Do you know?” Iris demands, her voice eager.

“I do.”

Barry sighs, might as well get this over with. “This Old Man,” he mutters and it’s muffled slightly by his hands as he hasn’t taken his face out of them. Really, he’s thinking about keeping it there permanently.

Iris laughs loudly. “With a knick-knack paddywhack, give the dog a bone, this old man came rolling home? Really, Barry?” she stutters out between laughs.

Barry finally lifts his red face. “Yes, really.” He glares at Len. “How did you know?”

Len’s eyes, which had been gleaming with humor, go a little distant. “Prison can be a very dull place. People talk about anything to pass the time. Kids are a particular favorite with the ones on long bids.”

Barry’s breath catches. “My dad. You were- He- He talked about me?”

“Oh, yeah. Whenever he could. And a lot of cons lent an ear.”

“Why?” Barry asks.

“Doc Allen’d patch you up if you needed it. That, and they felt sorry for him. No real crook believed he did it after being around him.”

“Oh,” Barry chokes out.

Iris is suddenly there, putting her arms around him. That’s when Barry realizes he’s crying. The kids are whimpering. Len is getting up and then he somehow has a baby in each arm, walking around and bouncing them gently to soothe them.

Barry hugs Iris back and then pulls away. He scrubs at his face and says, “Sorry.” He’s not sure who to - Iris, or Len, or Don and Dawn. Maybe to all of them.

“It’s okay, you’re okay,” Iris says.

Len just shrugs a little. “Didn’t mean to start a _Flash_ flood.”

Barry barks out an involuntary laugh and Iris snorts, trying to hold one back.

“You are the absolute worst,” Barry says to Len.

“I try,” Len says wryly.

Barry shakes his head. He wraps an arm around Iris’ shoulders and they watch as Len gets their babies calmed down.

“I’m really glad you’re back. Alive. Here. I’m really glad you’re alive and here, is what I mean,” Barry stammers out.

“Eloquent as always, Barry,” Len says, and the words are mocking, but the tone is softer than that, almost fond.

“We are glad you’re back with us,” Iris says, smiling.

Len looks down at Dawn and Don and says, “I think your parents should be very grateful I find you two interesting because my perverse nature kind of wants to go out and show them that they shouldn’t be glad.”

Don makes a happy noise and Dawn just snuggles in.

“Okay, we’ll stop being sentimental all over you, Len,” Iris says with an eye roll.

“Why, thank you, Iris, it does get messy, doesn’t it?”

Barry snorts. “Breakfast?” he asks Iris.

“Yeah. Len, what would you like?” Iris asks.

Len looks up at them and though his expression doesn’t change, Barry gets the impression that he’s a little surprised by the offer. He shrugs.

“Pancakes, omelet, French toast, oatmeal? Barry can whip just about anything up,” Iris says.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Barry exclaims, remembering something. He flashes into the kitchen and back holding his bounty.

Iris rolls her eyes.

Len looks at the cereal boxes Barry is holding. “Flash Flakes? Captain Cold Crunch?”

“Fun, right?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I was thinking,” Len deadpans.

Barry droops a little. “You don’t like them?”

“Well, for one, that’s a terrible picture of me.”

Barry frowns and studies the picture on the Captain Cold Crunch box. Iris steps closer to Barry and looks at it too. Barry can’t see anything wrong with the picture of Captain Cold firing his cold gun. He looks as good as he usually does, like danger and excitement, lit up from the glow of his gun. Iris looks up at Barry with a perplexed look. They shrug at each other and look to Len.

“I don’t look imposing, I look like I’m posing,” Len says disdainfully with a grimace. Don scrunches up his face at Len and Len’s expression softens again. Don makes a cooing noise, softly echoed by Dawn.

Iris quickly turns and hides her face in Barry’s shoulder. Barry thinks he keeps his voice fairly steady when he says, “And you would never pose.”

Iris makes a quickly stifled noise as Len looks sharply at Barry.

“Of course I would, don’t be ridiculous. _I_ pose for _effect_ , that just looks like it’s set up for a photo shoot.”

“You don’t like it because you look good?” Barry asks slowly, puzzling it out.

“I always look good. I don’t like it because I’m not… menacing enough.”

Iris is back to studying the box. “You’re right, it doesn’t show how much of a menace you are,” she says slyly.

Len smirks at her.

Barry’s not sure why, but he feels weirdly hot. He blinks and shakes his head. “And?”

“Hmm?”

“You said, ‘for one’.” 

“Ah. I’ve been… unavailable, but it is my likeness and I very much doubt Lisa is seeing any of the profits being made from this.” Len lifts his chin towards the other box and asks, “Do you get anything from that?”

Barry looks down at the box with The Flash on it. “No, but some of the profits go to charity.”

“Like a whole percent?” Len asks sardonically.

Barry has no idea. Barry makes a face and half-states, half-asks, “Some is better than none?”

Len shakes his head at Barry.

“He does have a point, Barry,” Iris says. She arches a eyebrow at Len. “It’s like they’re stealing from you.”

Len snorts. He looks down at Dawn and Don. “I was a little concerned for you, given who your father is, but maybe, given your mother, I don’t need to worry.”

Iris smiles.

“Hey!” Barry yelps.

Len laughs. Dawn screeches in delight. Don kicks his legs up.

“I see how it is, you’re all against me,” Barry says. He maybe, maybe pouts a little. He flashes back to the kitchen and puts the boxes up. “Anyway, what did you want for breakfast?” he calls out to the living room.

“Coffee,” Len answers.

Barry waits, but there’s nothing more. He pops his head out and says, “And?”

Len looks up from Don and Dawn and frowns. His eyebrows go up as he looks at Barry and he shrugs. “A Pop-Tart would be fine.”

That’s kind of a strange thing to request when Barry’s offered to make breakfast. Barry looks over at Iris. She looks as uncertain as he feels. They don’t actually have any right now – Barry can go through a family pack at a time when he needs some calories quick and he did the other day. Barry could run to the store, but it doesn’t seem like something Len is all that enthusiastic for. “Uh, we’re out. How about I just make waffles? They’re pretty easy for me to make ‘cause we’ve got eight waffle makers and I make a ton for myself, another few is nothing.”

“Fine.”

~~~

The babies are in their seats next to the table and they’re watching everything, but mostly Len. Len is moving deliberately, precisely as he eats the waffle off the plate Barry sat in front of him. There’s something strange about it. He seems almost unsure and Barry hasn’t got a clue what’s going on. Iris must feel it too because she’s watching Len out of the corner of her eye.

“Good?” Barry asks, hoping to break the weird tension.

“Yes. Thank you,” Len says stiltedly.

Barry smirks. “Oh, wow, you’d think nobody ever fixed breakfast for you before.”

There’s just a complete deafening silence from Len.

Oh, no. Barry closes his eyes, wanting to kick himself. Obviously, he’d just put his foot in it. He opens his eyes and catches Iris’ gaze. She looks desperately sad. She reaches out and covers Barry’s hand, comforting him, knowing how bad he feels about it.

Len clears his throat. “Not that I can recall,” he says evenly. He eats, a little faster now.

Barry wonders how many times Len’s had to power through things like this, someone saying something that would remind him of things he didn’t have, wasn’t given. Or maybe he was and can’t remember it now. Barry’s not sure which is worse.

Dawn starts crying and Len is up, whisking her out of her seat, out of the dining area and into the kitchen, where he begins to efficiently put together two bottles of formula. Her crying tapers off. After a couple of minutes, he deposits a bottle on the table near Don and heads off to the living room with Dawn and the other bottle. Barry stares at the bottle for Don until Don starts crying. He blinks himself out of his daze and moves toward Don.

“Barry, why don’t you clean up and then check in with the lab? I’ll take Don,” Iris says gently.

Barry nods and superspeeds his way through cleaning as Iris takes Don into the living room. He heads for the door afterwards, only slowing down to give her a brief wave. Once he’s outside, he lets himself really go.

~~~

Barry opens the door quietly and then freezes. Len is leaning against the wall in the entry way, looking at him. Barry slumps a little and then comes in and closes the door, no longer trying for stealth. “Look, I’m really so-“ Barry cuts himself off when Len holds up a hand with his index finger raised.

“Don’t. Don’t make it more than it is, Scarlet. Just hit a sore spot, is all.”

“Yeah, but I don’t,” Barry says and then pauses, not really sure how to say this, “I don’t want you to feel bad and I definitely don’t want to be the one who makes you feel bad.”

Len’s left eyebrow goes up. “I’m not exactly the type you wrap in cotton wool.”

“I wish you were. I wish I could do that to everyone I care about. Wrap them up, keep them protected, put them someplace safe, never let anyone or anything hurt them.”

Len stares at Barry for a long moment then scoffs. “That sounds really boring.”

Barry’s surprised into a laugh. “Yeah, I guess it would be, for you.”

“For you, too. And Iris. And Cisco. And pretty much everyone you know.”

Barry sighs and hangs his head. “You’re probably right.”

“I so often am.”

“Humble, too.”

“Really, can you imagine a humble me?”

“I really can’t,” Barry says.

“Nor would you want to.”

“Nor would I want to,” Barry repeats dutifully, trying not to smile.

Len smirks and saunters off.

It’s only when Barry heads to find Iris and the twins that he realizes what he’d just revealed. He groans a little. It’s not like it’s a secret that Barry cares, but letting Len how much he cares was probably not the best idea if they want to keep Len around. He’s not much for too much sentiment. Though, honestly, Barry’s a little surprised that Len didn’t either walk away or do some ‘I’m such a villain’ posturing. Maybe this is progress.

~~~

Barry finds Iris in their bedroom, blissfully doing nothing, the babies down for a nap. Barry tells Iris what he’s said and if it feels a little like he’s a teenager talking about a crush to his best friend, well, that’s nobody’s business but his own. Iris is amused. 

“You know, I asked him about you and him.” Iris says, a glint in her eye.

Barry’s not sure what she means. “What?”

“The flirting. I mean he sort of does it with most people, but you two have your own rhythm.”

“I, what? We what? No, we don’t. That’s not, we don’t flirt.”

“Uh-huh. Do you want to know what he said?”

Barry opens and closes his mouth a couple of times. Then he looks down and mumbles, “Yes.”

“He said, ‘I don’t get in the way of _monogamous_ relationships,’ his emphasis, not mine.”

Barry’s not sure what to make of Iris’ expectant expression. “That’s good. Right?”

Iris sighs. “Barry…”

“What?”

“Don’t you think those particular words might mean something?”

“That he doesn’t want to be with a cheater?”

“What would be the opposite of monogamy?” Iris asks exasperatedly.

“Uh, I don’t know, open, or um… Oh!”

“Oh!” Iris echoes mockingly.

“For real, though, you think…?”

“I do.”

“Was he, like, offering or maybe just putting the idea in your head?”

“Huh, I’m not sure. Maybe both? Yeah, that seems right. An invitation if there had already been thoughts, but an introduction if there hadn’t been.”

Barry tries to wrap his head around it. “So, like, you and him, and me and him, and you and me and him together…” Barry trails off as vivid images flash into his mind. He startles when Iris pats his arm, not sure how long he’s been lost in thought.

Iris is looking at him with a smile and a sparkle in her eye. “Why don’t you think about it for a while, Barry? We can talk about it later.”

Barry clears his throat, going a little red. “Uh, yeah, good idea. I’ll think about it.”

“I’m sure you will. I will too.”

~~~

Thinking about it is not a problem. Or, well, it is a problem, in the sense that Barry can think of little else and is distracted. Very distracted. He spills water twice, knocks over a stack diapers and a small mountain of stuffed animals, drops a reference book on his foot, hits his head on a cupboard door, and runs into three walls. It’s a good thing he’s got fast healing.

The last straw is when he finds himself in the kitchen coming out of a reverie with Len, holding Don, looking at him with raised eyebrows. “What?” Barry asks, a little antagonism creeping into his voice.

“You’re probably going to want to stop pouring,” Len drawls and then looks down at Don and shakes his head in mock disapproval.

Barry looks down and finds the cup he’d been pouring juice into overflowing and juice running all over the counter and heading for the edge. He hisses and jumps back. He uses his speed to clean it all up. Len strolls out, telling Don about how paying attention can be very important. Barry hangs his head. He looks up when Iris clears her throat.

Iris gives him a sympathetic look. “Okay, Bare?”

Barry sighs. “No, not really.”

“Maybe you should get out of here for a bit.”

“Really?” He just been gone and that doesn’t seem fair.

“Go. Come back with your head on straight.”

He smiles at her and then flashes over to her and kisses her. She kisses back and it gets a little more involved than he’d intended. They’re both breathing a little unsteadily when they finally pull back. “Okay. Be back soon.”

“Love you.”

“Love you, too.” And then Barry flashes out.

Barry runs for a while, but eventually ends up at STAR. He catches sight of Caitlin and remembers what Len had said about the twins. He starts asking her questions about the possibilities, being a little vague about how he came to figure out that the speed force might be affecting them. He’d let Cisco and Caitlin know earlier that this earth’s Leonard Snart was back and after a few questions, some of which Barry hadn’t had the answers to, they’d accepted it, like all the other bizarre and improbable things that had happened in Central. But he hasn’t yet told them about how Len sensed whatever he had sensed about Don and Dawn, not sure Len wants anyone else to know. Of course, given the timing, Barry thinks Cisco and Caitlin have probably guessed Len had something to do with it.

Caitlin and Barry end up discussing the twins and speed force and being a meta and genetics in depth, Cisco chiming in with a few comments. It’s not until he pulls Harry into the discussion, with a little help from Cisco, that Barry realizes that Iris should really be a part of this. He calls her, sheepish and apologetic. She’s a little exasperated, but also a little resigned. Barry’s natural impulsivity has been exacerbated by the speed force and so Iris is somewhat used to him acting first and thinking later. He tries to be less thoughtless because it’s really not fair to her, but it happens.

“Give me two minutes, then come get me,” Iris says.

“Okay. I’m sorry,” Barry says.

“I know. And the next time I go full bore after a story, I expect you not to say a word about it.”

“Just smile and nod. Yes, ma’am,” Barry says smartly.

Iris laughs. “Bye. See you in two minutes.”

“Two minutes. Bye.”

After two minutes, Barry flashes home. He flashes back with Iris. He catches her up and then the discussion continues.

~~~

When Barry flashes them home, Len is waiting for them, looking slightly irritated. Barry exchanges a look with Iris, feeling guilty. They did kind of leave Len alone with the twins for a pretty long while. “Sorry, sorry. We just, we were talking to people about what you said about the twins. It got a little involved. We ended up deciding to wait a few months before trying anything,” Barry explains hurriedly.

Len seems a bit mollified. “I do like your children, but I will not be treated as just a convenient babysitter. If I have to remind you of what I am capable of, I will,” he says silkily and then he slips out of the room.

“Damn, Barry,” Iris says quietly, “how did you ever concentrate if he was like this when you went up against him?”

“It’s really, um, distracting, isn’t it?” Barry whispers back.

Iris nods.

“Fortunately, he usually went for the smug wordplay rather than the sexy threat. It was still distracting, but not, you know, so take-me-now.”

Iris tilts her head a little. “Did you ever wonder what would happen if you did?”

“Did what?”

“Took him. Or maybe just got him up against a wall?”

Barry gives her a look. “Or a mantle? Because when I did that, he threatened me with his gun going off. You must remember that, you were there.”

“I also remember how he looked at you. But I meant, like, with intent, not just trying to constrain him.”

Barry licks his lips and swallows. “Maybe once or twice.”

“Tell me about it. What you thought, what you imagined,” Iris says intently.

“I’d get him up against the wall and he would smirk at me and I’d get my hands on him, under his clothes, like he gets under my skin so easily. I’d try everything, soft touches, rough touches, scratching, biting, teasing, until I got to whatever would make the cool amusement in his eyes disappear and turn into something blazing, focused only on me. Then he would look at me like I was prey to his predator and I would be waiting, anticipating his pounce. And he would. And he would say something sly or teasing or make a pun, but he’d do it with that tone that makes me shiver. And he would play with me, amping me up, taking me right to the edge, and then pulling back until I was a begging, pleading wreck, willing to do anything if he would just touch me the way I needed. And he would smile. And-“ Barry stops abruptly at Iris’ sudden intake of breath. “Did you just… Really?” he asks with a delighted grin.

“Barry,” Iris admonishes, a little breathless.

“No, I just think that’s really interesting. Don’t you think that’s interesting?” Barry asks mischievously, smirking at Iris.

“Very,” says a deep, familiar voice from behind them.

Barry’s wide eyes find Iris’ equally wide ones and they both cringe a little and turn to look at Len’s figure already retreating down the hall.

“Oh my God,” Barry says, putting his hands to his hot cheeks.

Iris closes her eyes and shakes her head, blushing, too.

It takes them a few minutes to compose themselves before they go to find Len. He’s sitting on the couch, looking perfectly nonchalant. He tilts his head and studies them as they come into the living room. “Why are you both so embarrassed?” he asks, looking amused.

Iris looks at Barry, then back to Len, and shrugs. “The streak of Puritanism that runs through the country that makes it seem taboo to even talk about sex?”

Len gives them a mock pout. “Ah, does that mean we don’t get to talk about me playing Captain Hook to your Wendy and Peter Pan?”

“Huh,” Iris says.

Barry knows that ‘Huh’, knows that it means her attention is hooked, and raises his eyebrows at her.

“Not for you, Scarlet? Would you rather play Little Red to my Big Bad Wolf with Woodsperson Iris joining in after watching me devour you?” Len asks, voice low and almost velvety.

“Oh,” Barry says, feeling like it was punched out of him.

And it’s Iris’ turn to raise her eyebrows at Barry.

Barry clears his throat. “I don’t think that’s how the story usually goes, but yours is… good.”

“How about two Wells Fargo stagecoach drivers,” Iris says and pauses, gesturing to her and Barry, “offer Black Bart,” pointing to Len, “something else if he doesn’t rob them?”

Len raises an eyebrow, looking intrigued. He opens his mouth to say something, but is stopped by a baby’s cry from the monitor. Len gets up and heads for the twins’ room. He turns just before he leaves the room and says, “I’d still take the gold, but I’d take the drivers, too.” Then, with a devilish smile, he’s gone.

Iris shakes her head, fighting a smile.

“He’d look good in a duster,” Barry says reflectively.

Iris starts laughing. “Yes, he would.”

“So, we’re doing this, right?”

Iris sobers. “Yes, I think we are.”

“And not just for a little fun.”

“No, Barry. I’m honestly not sure either of us are really built for that anyway. So, no, we’re not just inviting him into bed, but into a relationship.”

Barry reaches out and grasps her hand, lacing his fingers with hers, and he kisses the back of it before letting their hands drop between them. “Okay.” 

Len slides back into the room a few minutes later. “They’re fine, back to sleep. So, Barry any thoughts to add?”

Barry clears his throat. “I was thinking of something different.”

“Oh?”

“Maybe a married couple with kids decides to ask a handsome, semi-reformed thief if he wants to date them,” Barry says a little nervously. Iris squeezes his hand in support.

Len regards them both a little dubiously. “Date?”

“Yes, date,” Iris says. She looks at him closely and asks, “Too real for you?”

“Can’t say many have thought of me as dating material,” Len says matter-of-factly.

“Well, we do. And we’d like to date you,” Barry says.

Len is quiet for a very long moment. “This will probably end in tears and ice, but fine,” Len says resignedly.

“Really?” Barry asks excitedly.

“Really.”

Barry opens his mouth to make absolutely sure except Len holds up a finger and says, “Ask again and the answer’s going to be different.”

Barry slaps a hand over his own mouth just to keep from even making a questioning noise.

Iris disentangles her hand from Barry’s and goes over to Len. “Can I kiss you?”

Len looks at her, his lips quirked up just a bit. “To seal the deal?”

Iris gives a half-shrug. “I just really want to kiss you.”

“Ah.” Len then waves her closer in agreement.

It’s not a quick or soft kiss. There’s no hesitance or delay. The kiss is deep and slow and involved, almost theatrical. A distant part of Barry’s brain wonders why he’s at all surprised, but the rest is too busy taking in the sight. Barry finally lets his hand drop from his mouth when he has suck in some air. Len even goes for a dip at the end and when he brings Iris up from it, she’s almost laughing, but a little too breathless to actually make a sound. Barry watches enviously.

“You want a turn, Scarlet?” Len asks in way that somehow seems both lazy and predatory.

Barry nods eagerly.

This time, Len dips him before even trying to bring their lips together.

Barry laughs, giddy. “You’re so dramatic.”

“There’s no reason not to do things with style.” Then Len kisses Barry.

It’s amazing and Barry can feel it all the way to his toes. When Len finally sets him on his feet, Barry says, “Style. Yes. Good,” though any more style would probably kill him with sensation.

“I never considered kissing you when Captain Cold went up against The Flash, but I should have,” Len says, looking entertained at Barry’s dazed state.

“Liar,” Iris accuses with a smile.

Len just arches an eyebrow at her, unrepentant. “Thief, too.”

Barry just smiles goofily at both of them and feels content.

The End

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know if you find any typos or if the format is messed up or if you think I need any tags.


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